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Monday, 20 August 2012

Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront

There's an inherent problem with hotel hopping. I mean beyond the problem of your wife threatening to leave you if she has to pack up for the twentieth consecutive morning. Excluding that issue, the biggest drawback I run into when bouncing around hotels is that sometimes we find ourselves in a place that we'd simply like to stay in for a while. A place where we'd like to spend a week, a month, or maybe change the locks and see what kind of court order it would take the hotel to actually get us out of there. That's the kind of place that we found ourselves in at the Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront in Melbourne, Florida.

Strangely, the Radisson isn't necessarily our kind of hotel. We're used to suites that are a little larger, amenities that are a little newer, and things like breakfast and appetizers being complimentary and available throughout the day. They say location can make up for a lot though, and if there's one word in their name that rings true, it's "Oceanfront".

There's something about true beachfront properties that just makes me never want to leave. Playing in the waves, walking on the beach, watching the turtles, leaving the patio door open so I can hear the surf crash as I fall asleep...these are the kind of things that make me fall in love with a hotel. It doesn't hurt when the beach is deserted enough that I can pretend I'm a billionaire with my own private island, leaving me free to act as uninhibited as I please.

Stupid paparazzi...

As a bonus, not only do you get this fantastic beach area, but when you stay at the Radisson Oceanfront, you also get a room. We had a bunk bed suite which we figured, when combined with the pull-out couch in the room, would give us plenty of room for everybody to sleep. The bunk beds weren't ideal for us however, as the top bunk is so close to the ceiling that neither of our girls felt comfortable sleeping in it. We ended up letting my daughter's stuffed animals sleep up there, but I'm pretty sure even they had to duck getting in and out of the bed.

The living room had plenty of room for us to set up our air mattress though, so giving up the top bunk wasn't that big of a deal...

...and I guess if we really had to, Lori and I could have shared our room with one of the kids.

It's a sleep number bed. I have no idea how to work it, but it was comfy.

I don't know if they're half way through a renovation, but the living room had a nice flat screen, while the bedroom TV could use a little updating.

And while you're updating, the bathroom was a little small for a "family suite".

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this was the hotel where we found the needle in the guest services book. I wanted to just throw it out, but Lori told me that needles have to be disposed of differently, so I took the needle down to the front desk. The level of mortification and apology was exactly what I would expect it to be, and for me that was plenty. No compensation was requested, offered, or in my opinion, necessary.

None of these things however, really had any bearing on the enjoyment of our stay. It was easily our family's favorite hotel of our Florida trip, and if we were to return to either Orlando or Miami, I'm pretty sure we'd tack on a few days to spend back in Melbourne. We have great memories of our time there, and if you want to forget about anything negative, just leave your curtains open when you fall asleep. The sunrise in the morning is beautiful, and you'll swear you can see all the way to the Bahamas.